


Christmas Shopping Miracle

by XWingKC



Series: Shipmas 2020 [4]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M, Shipmas 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:27:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28170006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XWingKC/pseuds/XWingKC
Summary: Sam has a life changing decision to make on a mission. Then she has a life changing decision when she gets back from that mission.Part of Shipmas 2020. There is a graphic description of a battle in here. This started out as a one page story, but grew a life of its own. I hope you enjoy and hard stuff and the humor!Prompts:4 - Christmas Shopping3 - “Is that my scarf?”
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill
Series: Shipmas 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2063637
Comments: 33
Kudos: 46





	1. Chapter 1

There was so much smoke around them. The blasts were coming fast in the small space. Their bullets were flying faster. But it wasn’t enough. They were being forced back into the empty throne room. If they didn’t do something different, and fast, they would all be dead in minutes. 

Sam ducked down and took cover behind the empty sarcophagus, shielding herself from the incoming staff blasts. She crawled on the ground along the length of it, and poked her head out the other end of it. She had a better angle on the doorway where the Jaffa were coming into the room. 

This place was supposed to be abandoned. So much for relying on Tok’ra intelligence. She’d have to have a little chat with her dad when she got back. If she got back.

Teal’c was behind the raised dais in the center of the room. Daniel was hunkered down behind one of the many ornate Egyptian-like columns that adorned the room. Jack was behind a raised control panel. He barely fit behind it.

Sam now had the edge on the Jaffa coming into the room. She hoped there were not that many more. Daniel scooted to the next column, moving closer to the door. In a move that might have saved their lives, Daniel threw a grenade into the doorway. The Jaffa stopped their assault. 

None of them saw the panel open behind Sam until it was almost too late. 

She didn’t even hear the panel open. One Jaffa moved in behind her. He grabbed her from behind. From her crouched position, she used all her strength to push to a standing position to try to propel him off of her. 

It worked. The Jaffa was off balance, and careened backwards and his back hit the wall behind him. Sam used that opportunity to fall to the ground again, out of range of any bullets or leftover staff blasts coming in the room.

Jack saw the Jaffa slam back against the wall after Sam’s move. As the Jaffa positioned his staff weapons to shoot Sam in the back, Jack stood up and expelled a death yell from his gut, firing at the Jaffa with a continuous flow of bullets from his P-90. His shots killed the Jaffa who was standing behind Sam, and the dead Jaffa fell on her. But one of the Jaffa close to Daniel was not dead. 

The Jaffa near Daniel shot Jack in the neck from where he lay on the floor near the main door. Daniel quickly spun and made sure that the Jaffa was dead. Then he made sure all of the Jaffa on the floor and in the doorway were dead.

Sam turned her head to Jack when she heard his yell. She saw him get hit and fall to the ground. Then she felt a great weight on her. She tried to get the dead Jaffa off of her. It took her two tries before he slumped off of her.

Her eyes went wide and she caught her breath when she realized it was all over. Her head snapped to Jack’s direction and she ran to his side. Daniel and Teal’c joined her next to Jack, Teal’c remaining standing guard in case anyone else came through the door.

She saw his neck was charred, and chunks of his neck were missing. He was bleeding out. She took his head in her hands and tried to stop the bleeding. She stripped herself of her tac vest and outer jacket. She placed the fabric of her jacket on his neck. She was talking to him and trying to tell him to hang in there, that they’d get him home, and that he was going to be just fine. He knew better.

He slowly raised a shaky hand to her face. He left a blood handprint on her cheek. He looked at her, and only at her. He was trying to talk but no noise was coming from him. She told him to hang on. She stared into his beautiful brown eyes.

“Don’t you leave me. Not now,” she begged of him in a whisper. 

He was whispering something. 

She put her ear next to his mouth.

“It’s always been you,” he said. And then he was gone. 

She shook him, she talked to him, trying to wake him back up. She screamed. 

“No! You are _not_ going to die! Not like this!” she yelled at him. 

Her eyes were wide, and she was scanning the room. She was still pumped up on adrenaline and fear from the shootout. Her frantic eyes fell on Tea’lc.

“Get him in there. Now!” she yelled, pointing to the sarcophagus.

“Sam,” Daniel started, trying to touch her arm.

“No!” she yelled, shrugging him off. She walked over to Teal’c with fear in her eyes. 

“Get him in there! Now! Do it! Or I’ll drag him myself!” she yelled. 

She was yelling, but she was begging for him to help. She wasn’t going to let him die. She couldn’t let him die. Not after everything they have been through. She had to try.

Teal’c bowed his head and quickly moved to pick up O’Neill. Daniel opened the sarcophagus. Teal’c laid Jack inside. The large sarcophagus doors shut by themself. They waited.

The adrenaline started to wear off of Sam. She began to shake. She stood and paced the room as Daniel tried to calm her down. So much carnage laid around the room. She counted twelve. 

They did not know how much longer it was going to be. None of them knew if this would work at all. 

Sam slid her back down the side of the sarcophagus. She propped her elbows on her knees and held her head in her hands. She waited. She tried to get herself and her emotions under control. She felt someone sit beside her.

“Sam,” Daniel started. He gently put an arm around her but she shrugged him off.

“Not now,” she whispered back, not taking her head from her hands.

She felt like she was spiraling out of control. The job had enough stress to last a lifetime. Now add on another loss, especially him. She wasn’t sure how much more she could take. They’ve all died before. This was different. Maybe she’d finally go talk to MacKenzie when they got back.

Just like being separated by the force shield, and then the Zat’arc test, she again was confronted with her feelings for Colonel O’Neill. The feelings she knew were there, but worked so hard at dampening down and controlling. It was her, afterall, that chose to leave everything in that room.

Maybe when they got home she’d have him come over and just blow off some steam. They both wanted it. It happens all the time. Heck, she’d even walked in on folks in the locker room blowing off steam in the shower. Why does it have to be different with her?

She wiped her face and looked around the room. Teal’c was still patrolling and making sure they were safe. She turned to Daniel, who was still sitting next to her.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

“Of course. We love him, too, Sam,” he said.

“I know. It’s just a little different for me,” she whispered, not even knowing if he heard her or not.

He turned his head and smiled at her. He put his arm around her, and this time she let him.

“I know,” he whispered back.

They sat in silence for thirty more minutes.

…

The sarcophagus started to open. Sam and Daniel looked at each other and stood up. Teal’c walked over the dead bodies in the room to stand at their side.

The top doors slid open, and the white light slowly dimmed and turned off. They could see Jack laying in there just as Teal’c placed him. His clothes were still bloodied. One arm was at his side, and the other up over his head. All three of them stared down at him.

“Sir?” Sam softly said after noticing his chest rising and falling. 

He slowly opened his eyes. He didn’t know where he was, but could see his friends staring down at him inside some sort of box. 

“Where am I?” he asked a little hoarsely.

Daniel looked at Sam, who was still looking down at the Colonel.

“Um, sarcophagus,” Daniel finally said.

“What?” he exclaimed, and sat up fast. He got lightheaded and grabbed the side of the sarcophagus and his head at the same time.

“Aw crap,” he said from the nausea and disorientation. He took a few more moments collecting himself.

“How long?” he asked, still holding his head.

“About forty-five minutes, maybe an hour?” Daniel replied.

“What happened?” he asked after a few moments of clearing his head. He motioned for Teal’c to help him up and out.

As he got up and out of the sarcophagus, he looked around the room at all the dead Jaffa. Daniel and Teal’c explained to Jack what had happened. Sam was off to the side collecting her gear and putting it back on. They all heard the sarcophagus close itself back up.

She didn’t put her jacket back on because it was covered in Jack’s blood. She rolled her jacket up and clipped it to her tac vest to hold it in place. She put the tac vest back on over her black tank top, and secured her P-90 back in place. She didn’t know Jack was watching her the whole time as Daniel was explaining what happened.

“...so then you got hit by one of the Jaffa by the door. Sam held you as you died,” Daniel continued.

“So why not let me just die? You guys know how I feel about those things,” Jack said.

Daniel fidgited on his feet and looked briefly at Teal’c. 

“We, uh. We didn’t have much choice,” Daniel said, looking down at his feet before meeting Jack’s gaze again.

Jack understood.

He glanced at Carter, who was still busying herself getting ready. He noticed a handprint in blood on her face. His handprint. His blood. Her hands also had his blood on them. Some of the memories were coming back to him. In particular a certain memory of her holding him as he whispered in her ear.

“Carter,” he said quietly. 

She looked up at him after she attached her P-90. She was tired, emotionally drained, dirty, and they still hadn’t finished why they were here in the first place.

“Yes, sir,” she said, taking a step closer to him.

“Why don’t you grab the crystals, then we can go home,” he said softly, not taking his eyes from hers.

She gave him a nervous smile, and nodded her head once.

“Yes, sir. They should be in the control dais.” She averted her head and turned towards the center of the room.

Jack looked at Daniel and Teal’c. 

“You guys check to see if there is anything else we may want to bring back with us,” he said in a low voice.

Daniel half-smiled at Jack and began walking around the room. Teal’c went to the other side of the room. Teal’c grabbed a few Zats and Staff Weapons. Daniel didn’t find anything, so he grabbed three more Zats.

Carter had the control dais open quickly. She removed all of the control crystals she could find, and wrapped them up and put them in the bag they brought. Jack walked up beside her and reached for the bag. Then he offered her his hand to help her stand back up.

She stood and then the two of them were facing each other. 

“Thank you, sir,” she said quietly, then averting her eyes from him.

“Carter, look,” he began, but she cut him off.

“Sir, we should really be getting back. We are running late,” she said softly, looking at him for the first time since he’d been resurrected. To him she looked scared. She moved past him towards the door.

“Right. Ya. Home. Alright, let’s move out,” he said. 

Jack schlepped the backpack with the crystals over his shoulders. They had about a 2 mile walk to the Gate. The three guys all found things to talk about on the walk. Carter remained silent.

Jack kept glancing over at her. Her eyes were trained on the ground in front of her, like she was in deep thought. None of them bothered her. Daniel and Teal’c had just seen her almost come apart at the seams. They knew she needed time to decompress.

Jack walked next to her for a little bit.

“Hey,” he said, giving her a small shoulder bump as they walked.

“Hey,” she said, keeping her eyes down.

“You OK?” he asked softly.

“I’m fine,” she whispered back, keeping her eyes on the ground.

“If you, uh, when we get back, if you want to talk about it,” he said.

She slowed her pace for a few steps before looking up to him. She saw his eyes were genuine and caring. And something else. She couldn’t figure it out due to her own trauma dancing in her mind.

“I’m fine, sir, thank you,” and she continued to walk at a faster pace than the guys.

…

They got back into the Gate room and General Hammond was at the base of the ramp waiting for them. The first person down the ramp was Sam. Hammond saw her hands covered in blood, blood on her face, and a bloodied jacket clipped to her tac vest. 

“Major Carter?” he asked with great concern in his eyes.

“It’s not my blood, sir,” she said, moving her gaze to Jack. “Permission to take a shower, sir,” she requested of the General.

He looked over to Jack, then Daniel and Teal’c. Jack had some blood on his jacket as well. The other two looked dirty and tired.

“Permission granted. We will debrief in two hours,” Hammond said.

The three guys walked out of the Gate room and left Sam and Hammond. Sam paused in front of Hammond.

“Sir, may I have a moment alone with you?” she asked.

“Of course, I’ll be waiting,” he said, and motioned with his hand for her to join him in his office.

She turned in her P-90 to the guards, then went to join Hammond in his office.

She knocked on his door, and he told her to enter. She closed the door behind her. 

“Major, how can I help you?” 

“Sir, I’d like to take a week off. And I’d like to make an appointment with MacKenzie,” she said, her eyes drifting from his eyes down to his desk. 

“Of course,” he asked.

“Sir, I want to be reassigned,” she told him. Hammond stared at her for a long time. He knew this day would come. He knew one of them would ask to leave.

“Are you sure?” he asked. 

“Ya, I think it’s time,” she said, looking right into his eyes.

“Is everything OK?” he asked.

“Right now, I’m honestly not sure,” she said. 

She smiled the tiniest of smiles at Hammond.

“Permission to get ready for the debrief, sir,” she said.

“Permission granted. Dismissed,” he said.

She stood up to leave the office. As her hand gripped the handle of the door, he spoke.

“Sam. I’m also here if you need me,” he offered.

Her eyes were on the ground, but when she heard him speak her name, she looked up at him with glossy eyes.

“I know, Uncle George. Thank you,” she whispered. Then she left to get cleaned up for the debriefing.


	2. Chapter 2

After cleaning up and changing clothes, SG-1 and General Hammond met in the conference room for the mission debrief. They all sat in the seats they normally do. However, Sam kept more distance between her and Jack than she normally did.

Sam was quiet for most of the briefing until she had to explain why she chose to have Jack put into the sarcophagus. She was very surgical and precise with her answer.

“We had the technology right next to us. I know any of these men would do the same for me. I made the call. I feel it was the right call to make,” she said with a straight face, not taking her eyes off of General Hammond.

Everyone in the room saw right through her. Even Jack. He was sure he already knew why she put him in there.

“Yes, I’m sure they would. No one is accusing you of making a wrong call. What about the crystals?” Hammond asked.

“We got them. Plus a few extra. The intel on that was correct. The rest of it, well, not so much,” Jack said.

“Alright. SG-1, you are on stand-down for two weeks. Use your time wisely,” Hammond said.

“But, General, sir, we were supposed to go to P38-112 for the dig,” Daniel said.

“I’m sorry, Dr. Jackson. Major Carter has asked for a week off, so I’m giving you two. If you would like to go to the dig with SG-7, I can probably arrange that. If there are no more questions, you are all dismissed,” Hammond said.

Jack looked over at Carter when he heard Hammond say she asked for time off. She normally doesn’t request time off. She wouldn’t meet his gaze when he looked at her, and simply grabbed her bag from under the table, stood, and made her way to the elevator. He followed behind her.

He caught up to her as she waited for the elevator.

“You OK?” he asked her.

“I’m fine, sir,” she said, still not looking at him.

“Aright. If you need to talk, I’m here,” he said hesitantlysoftly.

“I know, thank you, sir,” she said softly, finally looking up to him when the doors opened.

She got in the elevator, spun to press the button, then gave him a little smile as the doors were closing.

…

He went back to his office. He rarely came in here because it meant that work had to be done. He owed Hammond a report on his death and sarcophagus revival. But all he could think about were those last moments in Sam’s arms and what he told her.

He wasn’t sure how much longer he could hide from her. He remembered looking into her blue-grey eyes as he died. He saved her life. Then he was killed. In that moment, in her arms as he died, he was at peace as he’d never been before. He knew then that he loved her. He knew he was completely and totally in love with her. 

…

She got home and closed the door behind her. She dropped her bag, and slumped to the floor with her back against the door. Everything she’d been holding in since Jack died poured out of her. Too much death in her life. Too much time has gone by without talking to someone. She’d fix that starting tomorrow. She let herself cry it out.

Her mind recalled the events of the shootout. She remembered holding him as he died. He told her it’s always been her. Not a direct proclamation of love, but enough to give her hope that he still felt the same way. She can’t deny her heart any more. She’d had enough. 

The one thing she can do is ask for a transfer. That way they can talk and see where this might take them. But, there’s one thing she has to do first.

After she settled down, she walked to her answering machine. There were two messages. She pressed play. They were both from the same person. Pete. They were just dating. It hadn’t gotten serious. But she knew she needed to let it go. So she picked up the phone and called him.

…

A few days later she went in for her first appointment with Dr. MacKenzie. She swore she’d never do this, but things had built up, and she needed to just talk.

“Major Carter, welcome. Have a seat,” MacKenzie said. 

Sam sat down across from him. She had on a long sleeved dress paired with a denim jacket. She wore a pair of low Chuck Taylor’s. She didn’t put on any make up today, and barely did her hair. 

“What can I do for you?” the Doctor asked. Sam inhaled deeply.

“I’m not really sure, to be honest. I just feel I need to talk to someone,” she said.

“About what?” he asked.

“That’s the thing. I don’t know where to start. It’s just. There’s a lot of death and suffering in my current job,” she offered.

“Yes, I heard that the latest one to die was Colonel O’Neill. You were lucky you had a sarcophagus.”

“Not everyone who works here is that lucky. I’ve seen many people die. I think it’s taking a toll on me,” she said, a little agitated.

“I have many members of the SGC come to me. Most are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I can only offer you ways to deal with your stress. I can’t make it go away.”

She looked at him for a moment, taking all of that in.

“I’m supposed to be a leader. I’m supposed to be strong.”

“Major Carter, even the toughest of top military leaders have been through things in their lives that no human should have to. War is cruel. War is suffering. What you are experiencing is normal.”

She looked down at the table in front of her. She worried her hands in her lap.

“I have asked General Hammond for a transfer,” she said next.

“Why is that?” he asked.

“I think I need a break. Something different. Some space,” she said.

MacKenzie looked at her and smiled.

“Does this have anything to do with Colonel O’Neill?” he asked. 

She looked at him like he just scolded her for talking in class.

“Um. No. What does he have to do with this?” she asked him.

“Why don’t you tell me, Major. Having a teammate, a _friend_ , die in your arms can be traumatic.”

She looked at him and he wasn’t looking away from her. She knew then that he knew. She wondered how many other people knew. Could they really see? Was she that obvious? She had worked hard to conceal all of this. She stared back at him and for the first time, she spoke her truth. 

“I’m compromised. I let my personal feelings affect the outcome of our ambush,” she said.

“How do you interact with your other teammates?”

“I would have done the same for any of them,” she said directly.

“But it is different with the Colonel.” 

“I guess,” she said. He waited for her to continue.

“We have never, you know, if that’s what you are thinking,” she said.

“I wouldn’t judge even if you did. Major, what you are going through is quite normal. I see it here almost every day. Small units tend to form bonds between people that go deeper than families related by blood. People in the military deal with the stress and their friendship bonds in many different ways” he said, insinuating sex as the stress relief. 

“But what about the rest of it? Sometimes, it’s just too much,” she said quietly. 

“Your trauma from the deaths around you will take time to process. Running on constant adrenaline is not good for the body, either. We can explore different ways for you to deal with all of this. Sensitive, intuitive people have more difficulty with jobs like this. We can start with something quiet, like yoga and meditation,” he said.

She looked down again and shook her head affirmatively. It had been years since she had practiced yoga. 

“When will you be transferring?” he asked. 

“I do not know yet. I just asked for the transfer this week.” 

“Alright. Then why don’t you start with yoga and meditation.” 

He got up from his seat and went to his bookshelf. He grabbed two books.

“You may have these. One is about PTSD, the other is for mediation techniques. I’d also like you to keep a journal of what goes through your mind when you get hit with the PTSD issues or have nightmares. Just a simple notebook will work.”

She took the books from him and looked up at him.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Why don’t you come back in one week?” he asked. 

“Yes. I think that would be OK. Thank you, Doctor MacKenzie.”

“Thank you, Major, for taking this first step.”

…

Sam left work after her appointment and ran some errands. She went home and went for a run. A nice, slow run always made her feel better. Later that evening she made a small salad for dinner. She turned on the radio softly in the background to a light rock station. Then she took out her book on mediation and read the book as she ate.

When she got done eating, she cleaned up the dishes and the kitchen. She went downstairs to see if she still had her yoga mat. She had to move some boxes out of the way, but she found it wound up leaning against a shelf. She also noticed a leftover coil of copper from when Orlin was here. She smiled at those memories before turning and going back upstairs.

She put her mat on the couch and went to her bedroom to put on work out clothes. She set herself up on the floor and started with some cat-cows to get the back flexed. Then she pushed her feet back and lifted her hips into a downward facing dog. She walked her dog out to stretch the things that had not been stretched like this in a long time.

Once she felt good about her dog, she slowly walked her feet to the front of her mat and stood in mountain pose for about three minutes. She used the time to try to quiet her mind. She did a series of five sun salutation A’s, followed by five sun B’s. She was out of practice and fumbled her chaturanga each time. She knew it would take time to perfect that one.

She did a series of flows that included warrior I, II, and peaceful warrior, and ended with savasana. During her savasana, she tried to incorporate the meditation with breathing she just read about. She fell asleep.

She woke from a nightmare. In the dream, a Jaffa tried to kidnap her. Daniel caught up to them and shot the Jaffa in the chest. He fell on top of Sam, bleeding on her. As she fell to the ground, she saw the Jaffa shoot Jack in the neck. She screamed as she woke up.

She was sweating and her breath was quick. Her chest hurt, and she grabbed it as the tears caught up with her. She rolled on her stomach and got onto her hands and knees. She tried breathing, but she was in a panic. It took her about five minutes to realize that she was safe.

She sat up and leaned against the back of her couch as she settled down.

“MacKenzie’s gonna love this,” she muttered, running her hands through her hair. Then she went to get her notebook to write all of that down.

…

By Friday, her nightmares were lessening. The meditation and yoga were helping, and Sam felt better about things. There was now three weeks until Christmas. She was not in a festive mood.

She was sitting at home on her computer when Daniel came over.

“Hey, whatcha doin?” he asked. She smiled at him and said hi.

“Just working on the analysis of the soil samples you brought back from the dig,” she said.

“Why are you working?” he asked, trying to admonish her. She rolled her eyes at him and patted the couch for him to join her.

“Anything out of the ordinary?” he asked.

“Not really, but there is a very low concentration of naquadah powder in the soil. Any indication the people died from metal poisoning?” she asked.

“Nothing written that we could find. Do we need to be concerned?”

“I don’t know. We may want to get Dr. Lam and Dr. Angstrom to look at this,” she offered, “but that is not why you are here,” she said.

“No. I just wanted to see how you are doing.”

“I’m OK, Daniel. Thank you.”

“Sam, I was there. I saw you, I just wanted,” he paused and looked at her. “I know it was hard. I wanted you to know I wasn’t challenging your decision. I honestly don’t know what I was thinking. I’m sorry if you felt I’d have rather him died there than try to save him,” he said.

She looked at Daniel and fought the tears forming. She was still too emotional over it.

“I know. I do,” she whispered. “I couldn’t let him die like that. I couldn't let him die for me,” she said so quietly he almost didn’t hear her.

“Sam,” Daniel whispered out, and touched her arm lightly. “Any one of us would have done the same for you. And you would have done the same for us. It’s what being part of this team means.”

Daniel knew her words went much deeper than what she was trying so bravely to _not_ admit. He walked around the table to face her. She looked up at him with glossy eyes. He offered her a hug, and she gladly took it.

“It’s not fair,” she said softly.

“I know,” is all he said.

They hugged for a few more minutes until there was another knock on her door. She got up to answer it. It was Jack. 

“Hi, sir. What’s up?” she asked.

“Just wanted to see how you were doing,” he said. 

“I’m fine. Would you like to come in and join the party?” she asked with a smile.

“I would,” he said, returning her smile with one of his own. Then he saw Daniel on the couch.

“Whooops. Am I interrupting anything?” he said with a sly grin.

“No, Jack, you are not,” Daniel said with an eye roll. 

“So. Carter, you OK?” Jack asked.

She turned back to them both and gave a little smile.

“I’m fine, sir, thank you,” she said.

“So, what are you both doing tonight?” Jack asked.

“Sleeping?” Daniel said. 

“Funny. You are both coming Christmas shopping with me tonight. Teal’c is going, too. It will be fun. Then we can go out to eat. Then you can sleep, Daniel,” Jack said.

“Sir, I really can’t,” Sam said, fidgeting on her feet.

“Yes, you are going. I’ll drive. You don’t have to worry about a thing,” he said.

She looked at him giving her his boyish smile. God, he was handsome, she thought. She looked at Daniel and smiled. Then she looked back to Jack.

“Alright. Fine. I’ll go. But, I may need an Egg Nog Latte,” she said with her smile that lights up a room.

“Deal,” Jack said. “Daniel, you grab T, I’ll grab Carter,” Jack said. 

Sam flushed at the double meaning as her mind processed what Jack had said. She hoped she wasn’t in for a long night of want and desire. On the other hand, she could do with being wanted. Especially by Jack.


	3. Chapter 3

Daniel left to go pick up Teal’c. They would all meet up at the big chain coffee shop at 1830. Sam and Jack walked out to his truck to make the drive to the mall.

The air was already a wintery cold. It had snowed, but it didn’t stick. It was just damp and cold. He’d prefer the snow to the cold, wet air.

Sam was bundled up in a burgundy wool pea coat, scarf, hat, and gloves. Jack stared at her scarf for a moment before starting to drive. He swore that scarf looked familiar.

It was a tartan design, primarily in a dark red or mahogany, with navy blue and green as secondary colors, and thin lines of yellow rounding out the pattern. It was definitely something in his family’s heritage. But could it be the same one?

“Carter?” he started. She looked at him.

She was beautiful today. Her eyes really came alive in all of the dark burgundy and red tones in her clothing. Her cheeks were just a touch of red from the cold. Her smile was alive and lit up her face. He wanted to reach across and place his palm on her cheek. But he did not.

“Yes, sir?” she replied, after he didn’t continue his sentence. 

“Um, is that my scarf?” he asked. 

She looked at him and her smile faded a little bit. She averted her eyes, and seemed to have gotten a little nervous.

“I actually don’t know. I found it at my house about two years ago. I liked it, so I kept it. If you think it is yours, then you can have it back,” she offered, and started to take it off.

He reached his right arm across to her, and gently grabbed her wrist. They both felt a tender jolt go through them from his touch. She froze for a moment, and realized she liked his hand on her a lot more than she probably should. She looked up at him and was about to reply, when he spoke first. 

“Carter, it’s OK. Even if it is mine, it looks much better on you,” he said softly, grinning that grin of his that could be more sarcastic than anything. He took his hand off of her wrist and continued to drive. 

She smiled and sank back down into her seat. She moved her eyes forward and smiled. She liked how comfortable the two of them have become when they are alone. She used to get incredibly nervous. Now it seemed she wasn’t as nervous, and was settling into something rather, should she dare use the word, domestic.

“Then thank you, sir. I’ll take good care of it,” she said, giving him a sideway smile. He kept his eyes on the road.

Sam and Jack got to the coffee shop before Daniel and Teal’c. They went inside, and Sam proceeded to order her Egg Nog Latte.

“Sir, would you like anything?” she asked him.

“Do any of them have booze?” he asked in the way he often asks Daniel things that he already knows the answer will be no. The barista rolled her eyes and smiled at him.

“Fine. I’ll have what she’s having,” he said. Sam paid, and they moved down the counter to the end where they’d pick up the drinks. They got their drinks a few minutes later, and went to sit down at a table for four.

Jack looked at his cup. It was in a holiday design of stripes and stars and other shapes that looked like ornaments.

“Festive,” he said, looking from the cup to Carter. She smiled at his comment. He liked that he could make her smile. 

She took a sip and her eyes rolled back, she licked her lips, and moaned out a sound of delight. He watched her and wanted to lick her lips as well. He sat back in his seat at that thought and stared at his cup again.

“Mmmmm. This is so good. Try yours, sir.”

He smelled the concoction in his cup.

“Egg Nog Latte, you say? Alright, here goes,” he said, and he took a sip. His eyes got large for a second, and he almost smiled.

“Christ, Carter! The only thing missing is some Irish Whiskey.” 

He licked his lips now, and took another sip.

“So, does that mean that you like it, sir?” she asked, grinning at him. 

He put his cup on the table, then leaned forward and rested his arms crossed over each other on the table.

“Carter, how about we drop the ‘sir’ today. Today I can be Jack. Or even just O’Neill,” he said, looking right into her eyes.

She looked back at him when he said that. She took her cup and swirled the drink around to mix it up some more. She took a sip and smiled.

“OK, _Jack_ ,” she said a little nervously, then let out the cutest giggle he’d ever heard come out of her. 

He smiled back and took a sip of his coffee, and leaned back in his chair again.

“See! That wasn’t so bad, now, was it?” he said right as Daniel and Teal’c came in.

“What wasn’t so bad?” Daniel asked. They both looked at their friends as they came to the table and sat down in the empty seats.

“Carter here has agreed to call me ‘Jack’ today,” he said rather proudly.

Teal’c’s eyebrows went up and he bowed in agreement. 

“Yes, well, let’s not get too excited about it. Tomorrow is another day,” she said sarcastically, taking another sip of her coffee.

“Alright, so here’s why I wanted you all here. We’re doing a Secret Santa. Just the four of us. I wrote our names on these folded sticky notes,” he said, pulling out the small, yellow pieces of paper. He put the folded pieces in the middle of the table.

“We each pick one and that’s who you buy for. Don’t say the name when you open it,” he said, looking directly at Teal’c. The first time they did this, Teal’c blurted out the name on the paper, and they had to start all over. 

“If you pull your own name, put it back and try again,” he said, winking at Carter. She had no idea why he winked at her. But she liked the attention.

“Daniel goes first,” Jack said. Daniel reached out and took one and unfolded it. 

“Not my own name. I’m good,” he said.

“Alright, Carter, you go,” Jack said.

She reached out and took one of the yellow papers and unfolded it. She smiled.

“My name. I have to go again,” she said, still smiling, then folded the paper back up and put it back down. She reached down for another slip of yellow paper, then nodded her head that she was good to go. She shuffled and tossed the last two pieces on the table.

“OK, T. You’re up,” Jack said. Sam knew then that either Jack or Teal’c were going to pull her name.

Teal’c studied the last two papers before reaching to grab the one closest to him. He opened it, then looked at Jack.

“All is well, O’Neill,” he said.

“OK, then I guess this one is mine,” he said, and slowly opened the last name on the table.

“Good. OK, so tomorrow we meet at my house for our Secret Santa Team Night. We good?” he asked them all.

They all nodded in agreement.

“Six O’Clock. Bring your own beverages and I’ll have the grill going. Burgers and dogs. The perfect holiday meal. Then let’s go!” he said, standing up quickly from the table. 

He was getting all excited about shopping. He drank down the last of his coffee, and turned to his team.

“What I intend to buy I am not sure I can get here at the mall. Anyone need any help?” Jack asked like a four year old on Christmas Day. They all laughed a little at his expression and enthusiasm.

“Um sir, I mean, Jack, you are sort of my ride, so,” she said like a parent would to a child.

He turned to her and stared at her for a moment.

“Ah. Yes. There is that. OK, split up, fan out, report back at my place tomorrow at 1800!” he barked out, taking his cup to the trash can. She rolled her eyes and looked to Daniel and Teal’c for help.

“Oh no. This is all you, Sam. Have fun! See ya!” Daniel said, quickly tugging on Teal’c’s arm to get them out of there while they could.

“Thanks!” she yelled to them as they left. Daniel turned around and smiled at her, then blew her a kiss in the air as he turned to go shopping.

Sam started to walk out into the mall, Jack quickly caught up with her.

“So,” he said, bumping shoulders with her, “who’d ya get?” he asked.

“Oh, no. I am not telling you. Wouldn’t be a secret if Santa’s helper squealed, would it?” 

She realized the innuendo in her words, and immediately blushed and looked away. She quickened her steps as she heard him let out a soft, gruff laugh.

“OK, Santa’s helper,” he said with that damn grin of his. The one that the corners of his mouth almost go in different directions, and yet neither makes a full curve of a smile. Damn him, she thought.

“Carter, do you know of the Krampus folklore?” he asked, quickly changing the subject to something less, charged, he thought.

“I do, sir,” she replied. She remembered him asking her to call him Jack, and almost saw his next move before he made it.

He quickly stepped in front of her and turned to face her, which meant she had to stop walking.

“You meant Jack, right? Of course you did,” he said, her eyes drifting up to his. He turned back to her side and they continued to walk. 

“Anyways, Carter. Krampus is a fabled half goat, half demon who would punish children for being on the naughty list,” he continued. 

He really was like a little kid in a candy store. She liked seeing this side of him. He made her smile. 

“Are you on the naughty list, Carter?” he asked, bumping her shoulder, not even trying to hide any sort of hidden meaning.

He made her blood rush to all sorts of areas in her body, flushing her with heat. She tried to keep a straight face, and tried not to give away how he was making her feel. So she fired back with the first thought that went through her mind.

“Well, if I were, would you protect me from Krampus, _Jack_?” she said, giving him her full smile. Then she gently pushed past him to continue walking. “And you just gave me an idea for my Secret Santa gift,” she said.

“Right,” he said as he spun around on his heels to catch up to her. 

They walked the mall until they found a bookstore. She started to walk in when he gently grabbed her arm.

“I’ll wait for you out here. I don’t want to see what you buy,” he said softly, motioning to the benches in the center of the mall.

“OK, that’s fine. I’ll try to be quick,” she said.

“Take your time. We got until 2200, when the mall closes. I’ll be here waiting,” he said, looking straight into her eyes.

She turned to go into the bookstore. She found an employee and asked for help. The employee led her straight to the area where they had about five books on the subject she was searching for.

One of the books that really caught her eye was a large book with incredible artwork inside. This would be perfect, she thought. She walked over to where they were selling ornaments. She found the perfect ornament to accompany the book. 

She went to the counter to pay, and asked if they were gift wrapping. They wrapped the book and ornament up for her, and placed it in a bag for her to carry. She was done.

She walked back out to find Jack sitting on a bench. He looked up at her when he saw her approach. She looked at him as she walked towards him. 

_“God, that man is hot,”_ she thought. She smiled. 

Just then her phone rang. She put her bag and purse on the bench next to Jack and got her phone out to answer it.

“Major Carter,” she said into the phone.

 _’Major, this is General Hammond. Do you have a minute?’_ he asked.

“Of course, sir,” she said, sitting down next to Jack and mouthing _the General_ to him.

 _’I got approval for your transfer. One option is to lead Team 13. Lt Colonel Onizuka is PCSing back to Hawaii to be close to his ailing mother. The other option is to head up our Research and Development,_ ’ he said, using non-descript words over the open phone call.

“I see. Both sound rather appealing, sir,” she said.

 _’Sam, I want you to listen carefully. I’m calling you on your cell because I’m not talking to you as your General. This is Uncle George speaking,_ ’ he said emphatically.

“I understand,” she said, shifting in her seat and looking down at the floor as she listened. 

_’There is a good chance I’ll be retiring soon. This creates a void that needs to be filled. I think we both know who the best candidate would be to fill that void,_ ’ he said, letting that sink in for a moment. She glanced at Jack for a short moment before Hammond continued.

 _’The R & D job falls under the main R & D program over in Nevada, but the majority of your time will be here in Colorado. You will have to go to Nevada from time to time, sometimes for an extended period of time. There will be no long distance traveling for that job. The R & D position is out of a direct chain of command here in Colorado. Sam, I want you to think long and hard about this. Call me if you want to talk it over some more,’_ he said.

“Um, yes, thank you, sir. I understand. I will think about it and get back to you as soon as I decide,” she said. 

_’Good night, Sam.’_

“Good night, sir,” and they hung up.

The implications of the R & D job were like a bright, flashy neon sign being dangled in front of her. She put the phone back in her purse and sat back.

“Anything you want to talk about?” Jack asked.

She did not move for a few moments as she collected her thoughts. She realized her heart was beating fast, and she was getting nervous around him now. She turned her head towards him and nervously met his eye. She gave him a half smile, and reached out to squeeze his hand, then let go.

“Not right now. Maybe later?” she said softly. “I think right now I’d like to go home. Is that OK?” she said.

“Ya, sure Carter. It’s OK. I just want to make sure you’re OK. OK?” he said with a slight smile trying to form. It did make her smile.

She stood up to collect her things. The two of them started to walk out of the mall. They walked by Burlington Coat Factory. She stopped.

“Sir, I need to run in there for a little bit. Should I just meet you at your truck?” she asked.

“I can wait out here again. Give me your things. Me and your stuff will be right on that bench over there,” he motioned over his shoulder at the bench.

“Thank you, sir,” she said quietly.

“Sam,” he drew out her name, rolling his eyes at her in humor. “It’s Jack tonight,” he said. She didn’t really smile back at him. Whatever happened on the phone was making her think. A lot.

“Yes, Jack. I will try to be fast. Thank you.”

She went into the store and thirty minutes later came out with exactly what she was looking for. They both walked silently to his truck. She placed her things in the back of the Crew Cab and then climbed in the passenger seat.

The ride home she nervously talked about the holidays growing up before her mom died. He could tell she loved her mother dearly. She told him how her mom used to make hot apple cider for them and they’d sit around the living room taking turns opening presents.

He told her how his dad used to get up early and shovel the driveway and walkways if it had snowed to make room for his extended family who came over every year. His mom had made hot chocolate with candy canes in them for everyone. 

He pulled up in front of her house to drop her off. She got out of the truck and went to the back to get her things out. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t hear him get out. When she closed the door and turned to walk to her house, he was right there.

“I’m here if you need to talk,” he said.

“I know. Thank you sir,” she said, which got her another sarcastic disapproving look from him. She smiled and looked down, biting her bottom lip before looking back up at him.

“Thank you, Jack. I had fun tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“Goodnight, Carter.”

“Goodnight, _Jack_ ,” she said with emphasis. She spun on her heels then walked up to her home and went inside for the night.


	4. Chapter 4

Sam woke up the next day with a lot on her mind. She had a decision to make. She wondered if she needed to include another person in the discussion before she makes up her mind.

She pushed the covers off of her, and went to the bathroom. She dragged her feet to the kitchen and started the coffee. She needed the warm, silky liquid to help her settle into her day. Her decision may not be simple. But it will change her life, no matter which one she picks. 

She sat down on her couch with her feet up, arms resting on her knees. She slowly tipped the warm mug to her lips, and she sipped the dark nectar of life as she let her mind wander. 

Command of an SG team would be great. She’d get experience in many areas of leadership, including writing evaluations. She’d remain in the SGC’s chain of command. That meant if one day Colonel O’Neill took over, there'd be only one solution to their situation. She wasn’t sure if either one of them were ready for that.

If she took the job that was based in Nevada, she’d be in charge of an entire division of scientists spread across the entire Stargate Program. The responsibility would be much larger than in charge of one SG team. She’d get plenty of leadership experience. And if Colonel O’Neill did take over the SGC, she would not be in his direct chain of command. So no rush on getting married as a solution to their situation. 

She felt like she had already made the decision. She also wanted to talk to the Colonel about it. Jack. She needed to have a personal conversation with him. Why is it so hard for her to call him Jack? 

She let her head fall to the cushion behind her. She stared at the ceiling as she tapped her short fingernails on her now-empty mug. She had to call him.

Sam got up off of her couch and put her mug in the dishwasher. She went back to her room to take a shower and get ready for the day. As she washed her hair and face, she flashed back to the first shower she took at the SGC when she came back covered in Jack’s blood. 

His blood was saturated in her clothes. His blood was on her face and on her hands. She remembers the smell when she stripped out of her clothing. She gagged and almost threw up before she got herself under the hot water in the shower at the SGC. Her eyes flew open as the memory flooded her. For that brief moment, she could smell his blood again.

“Great. Something else for my journal for MacKenzie,” she exhaled.

She got done with her shower and stepped out and dried off. She towel dried her hair for the second time. She stood in front of her mirror staring at herself. First she wondered how someone so strong and capable as herself could have so much shit running through her mind. She had seen horrible things. A man had died in her arms. She made a note to ask MacKenzie how top military leaders deal with this. Then she thought she may ask another accomplished military leader how he deals with it.

The second thought that went through her mind was wondering how it would feel to have Jack’s hands on her body. To let him touch her, and feel her. To be able to touch him back. To be able to share their bodies with each other. It is really the only thing left that they haven’t done together. 

She has had many dreams of him over the years. He has been the visual of many nights laying in bed alone. Realizing her decision will change everything, she spent a few minutes standing and watching herself think in front of the mirror. She got dressed and went back out to the living room to make a call. 

…

Sam decided to call Colonel O’Neill to see if she could go over earlier than normal so she could talk to him. She did not think he would object, and was pleased when he agreed to a 1430 or 1500 arrival time. 

She spent the rest of her morning making sure she had her Secret Santa gift ready to go. She also had to wrap the present she had gotten at Burlington Coat Factory on their way home from shopping. She didn’t have a box, so she wrapped the soft gift in wrapping paper and put a small bow on it. 

She had time to kill, so she did her laundry, changed her bed sheets, ran the dishwasher, and swept up the kitchen floor. By the time that was all done, it was 1410. She figured she could leave to go to the Colonel’s house now.

She put her coat and scarf on. The scarf that apparently was the Colonel’s, but he let her keep it. She put both gifts into a bag, then put her gloves on. She grabbed her bag, purse, and keys, and locked up her house and made her way to the Colonel’s place.

…

She parked her car next to his truck. She sat there for a few moments trying to figure out how to have this conversation with him. She sat in the car with it still running for about ten minutes. She eventually looked up and saw that he was standing in the doorway trying to get her attention. 

She finally looked up at him, and he waved at her to come inside. She smiled and waved back, then turned her car off. She gathered the bag and her purse, and made her way to his door. He invited her in and closed the door behind them.

“How long were you sitting there?” he asked.

“Oh I don’t know. Ten minutes maybe?” she replied.

“Well, come on in. You can put the things in the back by the tree. Can I take your coat?” 

“Um, ya, sure,” she said. 

She removed her coat and scarf, and handed them to him. She had on a navy blue sweater that seemed to pull on the blue in her eyes. She was beautiful. His hand grazed hers as he took her coat, and as he turned from her, he felt a shiver through his body. 

He put her coat in the back in the spare bedroom, and joined her in his den. She had placed the Secret Santa gift under the tree. He noticed she had one more under the tree, but wasn’t sure who it was for. 

“Can I get you something to drink?” he asked. 

He couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

“Sure. Beer?” she asked.

“Two beers, coming right up,” he said. 

He went to his kitchen to get the beers, and she sat down on the couch in the den. He came in and gave her the beer, then sat in the chair on the other side of the table from her. He stared at her like he was waiting for her to start. It was her that asked to come early to talk. But she sat there looking nervous and picking at the label on the beer bottle.

“So,” he said, trying to get the conversation moving.

“So,” she said, looking over to him.

“You said you wanted to talk?” he asked.

“Yes, sir. I do,” she said. 

The words did not come to her. She figured she should just get it out and see where the conversation goes. She paused some more. He stared back at her.

“Well. I won’t bite you, Carter. At least I won’t leave a mark,” he said with a grin, hoping to loosen her up to talk. She let out a nervous giggle.

“Funny, sir. When General Hammond called me when we were shopping, he said my transfer was approved,” she said, looking over at him in the chair. He stared back at her for a moment.

“I see. What did you decide?” he asked.

“Well, here’s the thing. I didn’t want to decide before talking to you about it.” 

“Me?” he asked, surprised.

“Yes. Um. General Hammond offered me two different options. I’d kind of like to talk them through with you. And I think you will see why I need to talk to you. And if I don’t talk to you now, I might never. So what I’m trying to say is that my decision might affect you as well,” she said.

He stared at her again. He was completely confused. He cleared his throat.

“Carter, I’m not really smart. Why don’t you take it from the top and tell me about the jobs?” 

She shifted in her seat on the couch. She put her beer down on the coffee table. She leaned forward and put her elbows on her knees and clasped her hands together.

“OK. I can do that. So. The first job is to transfer to SG-13 to be their lead.”

“OK. I know we need a new person there. And I get that you can’t lead SG-1 because of me. I could get behind that, Carter. I’d support you to get a leadership role. Why do I feel there’s a ‘but’ in there somewhere?” he asked.

“Because there is a ‘but’. A rather large one. If a person were to take the SG-13 job, and another certain person is promoted to take over for General Hammond, things between the promotee and the other person will be right back where they are today,” she said, looking right at him.

He looked her straight in the eyes. He saw how nervous she was. He could feel it from where he sat. Or was that him that all of a sudden became a nervous wreck? He felt she was here to talk about them. As in a couple. A life-changing conversation, perhaps, he asked himself.

“Ah. Yes. And if either one of those people involved are not where they need to be to fix that little problem, they would remain where they are today,” he said quietly. 

She shook her head affirmatively at him. 

“What's the other option?” he asked. She looked at him with a blank look on her face, and furled her eyebrows in question.

“You said there was a second option?” he reiterated. 

“Oh. Yes, sorry, sir,” she said. 

“Carter, stop. If we are going to have this conversation, please do not call me sir,” he said with that grin she wants to kiss off his face every time he does that to her.

She watched him get up from his chair and move around the coffee table to sit on the other end of the couch with her. He turned his body to face her as she began to talk again.

“Um, OK. Jack,” she said with a small laugh. 

She looked down at her hands, which had apparently picked up her beer bottle again, and were plucking away at the label on the beer bottle. He took her bottle from her, and he put both of their beer bottles on the small table to the side of the couch. 

“Also probably best not to have that in our systems with this conversation,” he said softly, looking right back into her eyes.

“Right,” she said, inhaling deeply, “So the other option is to be the head of the Program’s Research and Development,” she started.

He sat back against the armrest of the couch, still facing her. He bent his right knee, and brought his leg up onto his couch as they talked.

“Nevada?” he said more than asked.

“Yes. But, sixty to seventy percent of my time would be here in Colorado. I would be in charge of the whole R & D division. It would be a larger responsibility than leading a single SG team. I’d get to keep my hands on the tech coming through the Gate. I’d determine what needs immediate further research, and what can go into storage for a later date. I’d have a team under me of at least twenty,” she explained.

“What if the other person gets promoted to take over for Hammond?” he asked.

“Then the two people being discussed would still be out of any sort of a direct report work environment,” she said with a little smirk. “Hypothetically, even if one of them were promoted to the head of Homeworld itself, they would both still be OK to...” she stopped talking. She quickly looked back down at her hands.

“Jack, listen,” she started. She looked back up at him and made sure she had his attention. 

“When you died, when you were lying there in my arms,” she started to say before being overcome by emotions. Her eyes filled with tears, and she looked down at her hands on her knees.

“Dammit,” she whispered.

He sat up and straightened his back to give her more attention. The move also brought him closer to her. He gave her some time to gather her thoughts.

“It’s OK,” he said, “you can tell me anything,” he said in a quiet, soft voice. He reached out for her hand, but she didn’t take it right away. She looked back up into his eyes.

“Something inside of me snapped. I couldn’t let you die. And I definitely couldn’t let you die for me. If there hadn’t been a sarcophagus there…” she stopped again, this time wiping the tears from her eyes. 

“I never should have kept anything in that room all those years ago. I never gave you a chance, even when you looked like you were not OK with having to leave it in that damn room. Then I tried to lock it all away. I was scared,” she admitted. “I’m sorry.”

His hand was still reached out for her. She looked down, and this time she put her hand in his. She stared at their hands, and how perfectly his fit around hers. 

“Sam, I…” he started, but she cut him right off.

“Please let me finish,” she whispered, “ because if I don’t get this out, I may never get another chance.”

“OK,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze.

She looked at him again, and got her breathing under control. She found peace in this moment of truth. 

“I wanted to talk to you about my choices, because I really want one of those jobs more than anything in the world right now. But before I decide, I need to know if there is still something here,” she moved her free hand in between them both, “because I want to open the door to that room and throw the key away,” she said with a little smile. 

“I can’t go through life anymore without knowing how you feel about me, about us,” she said softly.

Before she could process any of her senses, she saw him lift his other hand to the side of her face, and run his fingers around to the back of her head. He brought her lips to his, and held her in a gentle embrace. 

This kiss was small, gentle, and searching. She didn’t pull back, and started kissing him back. He pulled his mouth from hers and rested his forehead on hers. Their lips were barely touching

“Do you mean us, like that?” he whispered into her mouth.

“Yes. That is exactly what I meant,” she said, and pulled him back into a very passionate kiss.

They explored the sensation of touch with each other. Lips on lips, hands on face, hands and fingers through hair, and fingernails on scalp. He kissed her cheeks and chin. She kissed his nose and his forehead. He stopped kissing her, and took her head in both of his hands.

“I have wanted this for a very, very long time,” he said softly. 

He stared into her eyes. She put her hands on his wrists and left them there. She looked back into his deep, dark eyes. 

“I have too. I want a chance, with you,” she said, “because I don’t want any regrets. We could go through that Gate tomorrow and one of us might not come back,” she said.

Her breath caught, realizing her words were more true than ever. She looked him straight in his eyes. Right then she realized what all of the fear, rage, hopelessness, and then the hope that flooded her when he died in her arms was. The full realization that she loved him more than anything else in the world slammed into her like the pulse from a ribbon hand device.

He saw the change in her eyes. 

“You OK?” he asked.

“I will call Hammond tomorrow and let him know. But, Jack, one more thing. Does this mean that there is an ‘us’ now? Like, are we together now?” she asked very nervously.

He gave her his smirk that he gives her when she says something that she really knows the answer to. 

“Ya, sure, you betcha we are,” he grumbled out. He leaned in and kissed her like he hoped she’d never been kissed like before. He let her tongue find his, and he felt her move on the couch closer to him.

She pushed him back into the couch, and crawled on his lap and straddled him. She pressed herself down onto him, and immediately felt how he was reacting to her. His arms went around her back, and pulled her sweater up so his hands could press into her lower back. She pulled back from kissing him, and put her hands on either side of his neck.

“OK. Good. Because there’s one more thing I don’t want to regret,” she huffed out breathlessly.

She reached down and grabbed the hem of her sweater and pulled it off of her. He looked at her, half naked in a black lace bra, straddling him on the couch. He put his head between her breasts and inhaled her deeply. He ran his tongue from her cleavage to her chin, then let his tongue fall back into her mouth.

He grabbed her ass and stood them both up.

“Bedroom. Now,” he said into her mouth.

They danced a dance of touching, kissing, groping, and laughing through his house, leaving clothes behind as they moved into his bedroom. They finished their dance, sweaty and sated, and collapsed in each other’s arms. They still had plenty of time before the guys got there to shower and clean up. Until they fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

The sun had set around 5 PM. The room was dark and no lights were on in the house. Jack had wrapped his body around Sam, one leg over her hips and across to her opposite thigh. She was laying on her back, snuggled up under him, holding on to his arm that was draped over her under the blanket. The blanket was drawn up over her, but the left side of his body from his hips down was exposed, ass and all.

Daniel and Teal’c arrived on time. They saw both cars in the drive, but no lights on in the house. They decided to walk up to the house quietly, in case something was not right inside. Teal’c opened the door and walked in first. No one jumped him or shot at him, so he figured the coast was clear. He walked down into the den and turned a light on.

In what could only be described as a Jaffa laugh, he called out for DanielJackson. Daniel walked down into the den and also got a huge smile on his face.

There spread on the floor in front of them in the den was a ladies sweater, a bra, and a pair of men’s jeans. Daniel looked at Teal’c and the two of them shared a knowing look. 

“DanielJackson, it would appear that O’Neill and SamanthaCarter have consummated their relationship,” Teal’c belted out. 

“Yes. Yes, I think you are right,” Daniel smirked back. “Come on, let’s go make trouble,” Daniel laughed.

They slowly walked towards the back of the house where Jack’s bedroom was. Daniel flipped on the lightswitch in the hallway.

…

**One Minute Earlier**

Jack began nuzzling Sam’s neck with his nose and lips. He moved his body closer to hers, even though he thought if he got any closer, he’d be inside of her. That thought made his crotch twitch because he had just been inside of her. His hips instinctively thrust into her side as he moved his lips up her neck to her cheek. 

He heard her exhale a very content moan at his movement, and she turned her head to him. His lips were waiting for her. She opened her eyes, and a second later she saw the hall light turn on. She jumped, and Jack pulled his head away from her. She grabbed onto his arm.

“Jack! The light just came on!” she whispered alarmingly.

“Doubt it. It has probably been on the whole time,” he said, kissing her neck again, “and your eyes are” kiss on one eye, “probably,” kiss on the other, “adjusting to the light,” he finished, putting his mouth back on hers.

Her eyes then went wide, and she quickly stopped kissing him and tucked herself under the blanket and further under Jack. But it was too late.

“Hey, guys,” Daniel drew out in a long breath. “How are ya?” he asked with a huge smile on his face. He turned the bedroom light on.

“Ah crap,” Jack said, lowering his head onto Sam, buried beneath his blanket.

“Ya, so Teal’c and I are here,” Daniel said, almost laughing.

“We are, indeed, O’Neill,” Teal’c said. Daniel swore Teal’c was smiling.

Jack realized his ass was hanging out for the world to see, and he tried to yank the blanket over him. But as he tugged to cover himself up, it moved some off of Sam’s body. She whispered out “Jack!”, and yanked it back. 

“Alright, guys, give us a minute? Or twenty? Out! Shut the door,” Jack yelled.

Daniel laughed, Teal’c raised an eyebrow and bowed his head. Teal’c grabbed the door and shut it. Sam and Jack could hear Daniel walking back down the hall. 

“Oh this is going to be great,” Daniel said.

“I am happy for them, DanielJackson,” Teal’c replied.

“Indeed,” Daniel said right back to him.

…

“Oh my god,” Sam said, not taking her head out from under the covers.

“Tell me about it,” Jack replied. “You OK?” he asked.

“That wasn’t exactly how I wanted them to find out,” she said, reaching for his hip with her hand. “But, I am fine. I think. How about you?” she asked, finally coming up for air.

He brushed her hair out of her eyes. He leaned down and kissed her softly.

“Me, too. In fact, I’ve never been better,” he said, exhaling a breath softly into her neck.

“That was really good, by the way. _Really_ good,” she said, pulling him on top of her again. She loved feeling his weight on her. He grounded her, and made her nightmares go away.

“Yes it was. I’m looking forward to next time,” he said.

She thrust her hips up, moaning a satisfied moan to let him know she agreed with him.

“MMmm. I can’t wait for next time either. But right now, I need you to go get my clothes. I’m sure they have already seen everything out there,” she said with an embarrassed tone.

“Well, they are family. It’s not like they haven’t seen you in less clothing out in the field or off-world,” he reminded her.

“True. And at least it wasn’t General Hammond,” she laughed out.

“Can you imagine?” he asked laughing with her. 

He looked down at her underneath him. She was looking at him with those blue-grey eyes that somehow know what to say to him when words fail her. Right now he knew what she was saying. He couldn’t hold anything back any more.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered. She ran her fingers through the back of his head. 

He kissed her softly, barely touching her lips. He kept his eyes open and pulled back a little so his eyes could focus on her. His eyes darkened another shade as he stared down at her. He could almost hear her thoughts.

“I love you,” they both whispered at the same time.

She let out a giggle so loud they swore the guys could have heard. He buried his face in her neck and laughed with her. He kissed up her neck to her cheek, then finally got up off of her to go get her clothes.

He stood there looking down on her in his bed in all his natural glory. 

“You really are beautiful, Sam.”

He turned to get some clothes on. Then he left her in his bedroom while he went to gather her clothes.

…

He could hear the guys talking as he made his way into the den. They didn’t see or hear him as he came down the short stairs.

“Hey,” Jack said.

Both of them turned to Jack and smiled. Jack was prepared for the incoming bombs.

“So. Jack. That happened?” Daniel said more than asked.

“Oh boy,” Jack mumbled as he picked up Sam’s sweater and bra.

“I’m happy for you. For both of you. We really are. Just a bit surprised to see it tonight the way I did,” Daniel said, barely keeping his laugh in.

“Yes, well, let’s try not to embarrass her too much tonight, OK? This means something to us. We’re going to try and see what happens,” Jack said.

“Very well, O’Neill. You have my trust and confidence,” Teal’s added.

“Thanks, T. Daniel?” Jack asked, turning back to his friend.

“Of course. I really am happy for you guys,” Daniel said.

“Alright. I’m going to take these to her. We’ll be back in a few. Make yourselves at home and don’t use the bathroom until she’s done,” he said, turning to walk back out of the room.

“Can we start dinner or anything?” Daniel asked.

“Oh, ya. We sort of forgot to make dinner. It’s Christmas. How about ordering Chinese?” Jack asked.

They all chuckled at that, and Daniel shook his head and said he’d order the food.

…

Jack collected the rest of their clothes that were in the house. He brought them all into the bedroom, along with a towel from the linen closet. He sat back on the edge of the bed with her.

“They are ordering Chinese. I guess we got a bit preoccupied and forgot to make dinner,” he said.

“I guess we did,” she laughed. “I’m gonna take a shower real quick.”

“They won’t come back here until you are dressed and back out. I’ll go and be a good host and hang out with the guys,” he said.

“Were they horrible?” she asked with a little cringe in her face.

“Not too bad. But I did tell them to lay off you, or they’d have to deal with me,” he said, leaning in to kiss her one more time. “Go on, get ready. We’ll wait for you.”

They got up and she wrapped the towel around her. He walked her to the guest bathroom where all of her stuff was kept alongside Daniel and Teal’c’s.

“Um, Jack?” she paused at the door. “Do you think I can move my stuff from this bathroom into yours?” she asked with sinful eyes.

“Ya, sure, you betcha,” he said, then leaned in to kiss her, pressing her into the door frame.

“Hey, save some of that for later,” she said.

“Later?” he asked.

“What, you think after that,” she nodded her head towards his bedroom, “I would be going home tonight?” she smiled up at him. He let out a grunt.

“Mmm, I love you. See you soon.” 

She smiled at him and went in to grab her things, then went back into Jack’s bedroom to use his bathroom

Then Jack joined the guys in the den for some beer. He noticed Teal’c put on the movie ‘Die Hard.’ It was already shaping up to be a great night.

…

Fifteen minutes later, Sam joined the team in the den. She was already a bit embarrassed, so her cheeks were already a bit pink. She walked down the two steps into the room with her eyes down and hands in the pockets of her jeans.

“Hey, guys,” she said quietly. 

Teal’c stood up first, and took just three steps to reach her. He gave her a smile. An actual smile, but still bowed his head to her. He offered his arm to her for the Jaffa greeting. She took his arm, but then brought him in for a hug.

“Thank you,” she whispered to him.

“I am very happy for you, SamanthaCarter. I have always been in your angle,” he said. She smiled up at him, sensing he said that on purpose. She gave him a slight giggle, knowing he meant corner, and thanked him again.

Daniel walked to her and took her in his arms. He hugged her tight.

“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. You guys just surprised us, that’s all.”

“I think we surprised ourselves,” Sam said quietly.

Daniel stepped back.

“I am very happy for you, Sam. For both of you. And my gods! It’s about time!” he said loudly, making sure Jack heard him.

All four of them sat down. Sam talked to them about her decision with her transfer. She was going to call Hammond tomorrow and tell him. She couldn’t take her eyes off of Jack when Daniel finally spoke again.

“You know, I think you both deserve this chance. If it means you leaving, then that is what has to happen. We all know that going through that Stargate means we may not come back,” he said, looking over to Jack.

Everyone was quiet for a few moments. All eyes eventually ended up on Sam again.

“I’m also seeing MacKenzie for PTSD. I’m not ashamed to say I need help with some of this, especially after…” she stopped talking but they all knew what she was talking about.

Jack got up and motioned for Daniel to change seats with her so he could sit next to her on the couch. He put his hand on her back and caressed her as she continued to talk about MacKenzie and what he’s helping her with.

They heard a knock on the door. Teal’c got up to answer it. It was the Chinese food they had ordered. They ate their dinner together in the dining room. Sam was more relaxed now, and most of the teasing was aimed at Jack, not her. She even made a smart-ass comment about Jack’s ass hanging out for all to see when they were found in bed together.

They sat talking a little bit longer at the table before going back into the den for the Secret Santa. Each of the presents under the tree had names on them except the one extra one that Sam had brought.

Jack told Teal’c to go first. He found the one with his name on it, and saw it had two parts to it. He took them both and sat down in a chair. He opened the smaller one first. He took out an ornament of a creature that looked like a werewolf with horns on its head like a ram. He looked at it like he had no idea what it was.

Daniel reached over and asked to see it. Daniel figured it out quickly, but said nothing. Teal’c opened the larger of the gifts, and turned it right side up.

“The Art of Krampus,” Teal’c said aloud.

“Ah nice! Krampus is an Earth folklore about a creature who was said to be half goat and half demon who would terrorize children who misbehave,” Daniel started to explain. 

Teal’c raised an eyebrow as he continued to look at the heavy book.

“Does this mean we have to stand vigil outside O’Neill’s house due to his misbehavior earlier with SamanthaCarter?” he asked. 

All eyes in the room turned to Teal’c. Sam sat there with her mouth wide open, but she was the first one to laugh. As soon as Daniel and Jack saw Sam laugh, they also joined in. Teal’c rarely got in good ones, but this was one none of them would ever forget.

“T! Nice one!” Jack yelled over the laughter. “Who is next? How about Sam? You’re up.”

Sam walked to the tree and found a very tall box standing by the window with her name on it. She picked up the box and found it had some weight to it. She took it back to her seat. She peeled the paper back from the box. Staring back at her was a Celestron auto-tracking telescope.

She inhaled deeply, knowing the expense. She finished taking the wrapping paper off of the box. She read the writing on the box, and stared at the picture again.

“Jack,” she said softly, finally looking up to him, “this is too much, I can’t,” she started to say.

“It’s small enough to fit in the back of your tiny car, but large enough to see things the base model cannot pick up. And now that you are changing jobs and might not be out there among the stars, this way you can bring the stars to you,” he said, looking right at her.

The room disappeared around her. She wanted to hug him, or kiss him, or something. She wasn’t sure how this dynamic worked now with the guys around. The air was thick between Sam and Jack. She was sure the guys were picking up on it. 

“Besides, what’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is mine now, right?” Jack said, trying to dissipate some of the tension. “If mine breaks, I can always use yours,” he said smiling and looking at the guys. 

They didn’t seem to mind. Everyone laughed.

“Thank you. This is really amazing,” she said.

“OK, Daniel, you’re up,” Jack said quickly, but not taking his eyes off of Sam.

Daniel went to the tree and found a small, flat box with his name on it. He sat back down and opened it up. He found two tickets to an archeology exhibit in Los Angeles.

“The Aztec Connection To Aliens,” he read on the tickets. Under the tickets was a book with a similar name.

“Teal’c, thank you. This is very thoughtful of you,” Daniel said.

“I will not buy your airline ticket,” Teal’c said quickly. Everyone laughed. “I also thought you may want to take someone to accompany you. Perhaps Ms. Gardner. Otherwise, a certain Jaffa from Chulak may be interested in seeing the City of Angels,” he said not so subtly. 

They all shared a laugh at that comment as Jack stood up to get his gift under the tree. He found the one with his name on it, and figured it was from Daniel. Jack also saw the second one Sam brought over. He looked over to her holding it in his hand.

“Oh. That is, uh, actually that is for you,” she stuttered out.

Jack took both of the gifts and sat back down next to Daniel on the couch. He took the one from Daniel and opened it up first. Inside of the box were two books. The first was called ‘Comic Book Guy's Book of Pop Culture (Simpsons Library of Wisdom)’ and had a picture of the Simpson’s character of Jeff Albertson, a.k.a., Comic Book Guy, on the front. Jack laughed a little and thanked Daniel for it.

The second book was a leather-bound history book about the Air Force. Everyone knew Jack loved history. They also knew he was much more learned than he let them believe. Jack ran his fingers along the raised embossed logo of the US Air Force on the cover of the book. He looked over to his friend sitting next to him, and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Thank you. This is great, Daniel,” Jack told him.

Jack took the other wrapped gift that Sam brought and opened it. He looked at it in his hands, and gave her one of his half-smiles, half-smirks, and now in addition to that, he gave her a smoldering look full of promises for later that night.

In his hands was an almost identical scarf to the one Sam was wearing when they went shopping. She looked a little nervous. Jack stood up and put the scarf around his neck. He moved past Daniel to go stand in front of Sam. He reached his hand down to her. She took his hand and stood up in front of him.

He took her into his arms and held her. Daniel and Teal’c averted their eyes from Sam and Jack. Daniel gave Teal’c a knowing smile. Both men were happy for their friends.

“Thank you. I love it,” he whispered. She hugged him back not even caring that the guys were in the room. She buried her face into his neck and held him. She pulled back a little to talk to him.

“Now we can match, or something,” she said with a nervous laugh. “I didn’t know we’d be where we are when I bought it,” she finished.

He took her face gently in his hands and kissed her softly.

“Thank you,” he said again, “but let’s clean up so we can kick the guys out, OK?” he said loud enough for them to hear.

They all had a good laugh at that comment, and they all helped to clean up. Jack and Teal’c cleaned the dining room and kitchen. Teal’c took some of the leftover food back to base with him. 

Daniel and Sam cleaned up the den and threw away the wrapping paper. They put the gifts on the coffee table, but her gift went back next to the tree due to its size.

All four of them ended up in the kitchen after they were done. Sam cozied up to Jack’s side leaning against the counter by the sink. He put his arm behind her lower back as they all talked for a while. They all seemed comfortable with the change in Sam and Jack. 

Daniel eventually decided that Sam and Jack needed some more time alone. He and Teal’c collected their things and put their coats on. They each hugged Sam and Jack, and again wished them well in their new life they were forming. They left, leaving Sam and Jack alone in his house again.

Jack shut his door, and actually locked it. He turned to face Sam.

“So,” he said, smiling at her.

“So,” she replied 

He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her again. He slowly swayed with her in his arms for a few minutes.

“Now what?” he asked.

“Maybe go sit and talk? Get to know each other like this?” she asked him.

“Sounds good. Want anything to drink?” he asked.

“Maybe just some water.”

“Coming right up,” he said, turning to go to the kitchen. 

She went and sat down on the couch and was staring at the ornaments and lights on his tree when he came back in and handed her the water. He sat down next to her on the couch, and made sure his hip touched hers. She leaned into him. She took a sip of water, and put the glass on the table next to the couch on her side. 

She thanked him again for her telescope. He started to talk to her about some of the ornaments on his tree. Some have been with him since he was a little boy. There were two that were Charlie’s up on the tree. She could see the ones that either she, Teal’c, or Daniel have given to him over the years. They fell into a comfortable silence.

She tucked herself under his arm. His hand was caressing the side of her arm, and would occasionally drop down to find side boob. After about five minutes of sitting with each other, she looked up to him.

His eyes were already dark and welcoming. This was still all so new to both of them. But she could see the tenderness in his eyes. It felt like the same tenderness she has seen from him over the years. Only now, she knew the feelings behind it on a very personal level.

She smiled at him. He looked like he wanted to say something, but didn’t know how. She took over.

“Oh, who are we kidding?” she said, and turned her body around on him, and straddled him and began to kiss him like earlier in the day. 

“Hey, wait,” he said.

“Sorry! Did I crush something?” she asked softly. He let out a small laugh at her question.

“No. It’s just I never got a shower earlier.” 

She stared at him and got a big smile on her face.

“Well, there are few things I’d like to try in the shower,” she said, licking his neck from his Adam’s Apple to his chin. She felt him grunt.

“Let’s go,” he said. 

That is all the motivation she needed.


	6. Chapter 6

The sun rose later in the morning during the winter. The birds could be heard waking up in the moments before the sun poked its head up above the horizon. There was no wind outside, and right now, the world seemed at peace.

She had another nightmare. This time, she had him there to help her through it. He talked to her and soothed her with his voice. He held her tight when she felt the fear would overtake her. He became her rock through it all. She was able to go back to sleep.

Sam had spent the night at Jack’s before, but never in his bed. This morning she was laying on him with her arm and leg draped over him like a warm, winter blanket. Her head was snuggled into the space between his neck and his shoulder. The space seemed to have been made for her head. She fit perfectly into his side.

He woke up with his hand on her arm that was laying across his bare chest. His right arm was under her body, and was very much being squished between her and the mattress. He’d have to move soon to get the blood flow back into his arm. But right now he dared not move. He did not want to break whatever spell had brought her to his bed.

She tried to wake up. She stretched a leg, and squeezed his torso harder. He felt her breasts against his side. She nuzzled her face into his neck and he felt her warm breath on him. She kissed his neck.

“Good morning,” she said softly into his skin. She sent electricity from her lips down to his toes.

“Yes it is,” he replied.

She smiled and let out a satisfied sigh. She ran her fingers lovingly through his chest hair. Subconsciously she was drawing Gate addresses on him. He felt and understood the last one she drew.

“Home,” he said.

“Technically, the point of origin,” she said. 

He laughed and then quickly grabbed her and rolled her on top of him. She looked down on him and saw the intensity in his eyes.

“Carter,” he started to talk. 

Instead of talking, he took his fingers and ran them up and down her spine. He started to draw symbols on her back. She looked at him as he drew, and felt his body start to harden under her.

“Iridanus,” she whispered. He drew again.

“Leo Minor,” she said, then kissed him. He drew again.

“Capricornus,” she said, and leaned down to kiss him again.

She spread her legs open across his hips. He grabbed both of her round globes on her back side, and thrust his hips up into her. He was at full mast and she felt him thrust up between her legs. She sat up and reached behind her. She took him lovingly in her hand. 

He took his hands and ran them up from her hips to her breasts. He palmed her and then pinched her nipples hard enough to make her press down onto his hips even more. 

She lifted her hips up, then sat down on him, and took him fully inside of her. He watched as he disappeared inside of her. Then his eyes rolled back in his head, and all he could feel was her. 

…

They got done with their shower and got dressed. Sam still didn’t have a change of clothes, so she threw her clothes in the wash, and borrowed a pair of Jack’s sweatpants and a t-shirt.

She was in his kitchen making coffee. She took his breath away when he saw her. 

“You look hot,” he told her. She turned to him and gave him a sexy smile.

“You probably tell that to all the ladies who wear your clothes,” she replied. 

“None have worn my clothes, though,” he quipped back.

“Ah, so you have had a lot of ladies over,” she joked, putting her arms around him and kissing him.

“None that I have ever wanted to stay,” he replied. 

His words caught her off guard. She did not know how to interpret that, nor how to react. He wrapped his arms tighter around her.

“You want me to stay?” She asked. 

“As long as you want to,” he whispered back to her. 

“So now what?” she asked quietly.

“Well, now I think you need to call General Hammond about your decision. Are you sure about your choice?” he asked. 

“I am. Are you OK with my choice?” 

“Absolutely I am. Now, go. Make that call,” he said, swatting her on the ass as he turned her around to leave the kitchen.

…

‘ _General Hammond,_ ’ she heard on the other end of the line.

“Good morning, sir, it’s Major Carter.”

‘ _Good morning, what can I do for you?_ ’

“Sir, I’ve made my decision about my transfer. I would like the R & D position,” she told him.

‘ _Very well. Good choice, Sam. I’d imagine this opens up other doors for you as well,_ ’ he said, insinuating a certain personal relationship with a certain Colonel. 

“Yes, sir, indeed it does,” she said with a smile. 

‘ _We can sign the paperwork tomorrow and get the ball rolling. Sam, I still want you to finish your sessions with MacKenzie_ ’ he said.

“Um, yes, sir. I will. I had another nightmare last night. I’ll make another appointment tomorrow.”

‘ _Are you OK? _’ Hammond asked.__

__“I am. I will be fine. Thank you.”_ _

‘ _Sam. Are you with him now?_ ’ she heard him emphasize her first name. She smiled. 

__“Now, Uncle George, that would be highly inappropriate now, wouldn’t it?” she said sarcastically, just as Jack handed her a cup of coffee._ _

' _Of course it would. Sam, I’m happy for you. I’ll always be here for you if you need me._ ’ 

__“I know. Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow to make this all official. Have a great rest of your weekend, Uncle George.”_ _

‘ _You, too Sam. And Jack,_ ’ he said with a little laugh. 

__She let out a little laugh too, then they hung up the phone._ _

__Jack sat down beside her on the couch with his own cup of coffee. She smiled at him._ _

__“He knows,” she said._ _

__“Of course he knows. I think the whole base knows. But I am glad we waited.”_ _

__“Me, too. So you think that he’s going to retire soon? Are you really up for a star?” she asked._ _

__“I guess. I’d really rather just retire again, to be honest. I don’t want to work anymore. Besides, what if my swimmers get you pregnant?” he asked, bumping her shoulder and making her laugh. She elbowed him back._ _

__“What? One of us should be here on Earth for the kid. You have the rest of your career ahead of you. You will definitely have stars on your shoulders one day,” he said confidently._ _

__“You think?” she asked, sipping her coffee._ _

__“Oh, I have no doubts,” he replied._ _

__“So. Jack,” she said, putting her feet up over his legs, and putting her back into the side of the couch to face him. “What do we do now?” she asked. She gave him one of her million dollar smiles over the top of her cup as she sipped some more coffee._ _

__“I don’t know. What do you want?”_ _

__“I meant us. This,” she said, waving a hand between them._ _

__“Ah. Well. I guess we take it one day at a time? What about you?” he asked._ _

__“I like one day at a time,” she replied._ _

__He loved making her smile. He laid on hand on her shins._ _

__“Merry Christmas, Sam.”_ _

__“Merry Christmas, Jack.”_ _

___________________________________ _

__**_fin_ ** _ _


End file.
